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Project Apex

Thermo-Mechanical Aero Stability & Validation

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© 2025. Timothy Harmon. All Rights Reserved.

[STATUS: DEPLOYMENT READY]

The Challenge

The 2026 FIA regulations introduce unprecedented complexity by splitting power delivery 50/50 between the ICE and electrical systems. Standard Driver-in-Loop (DiL) simulations often rely on static homologation maps (e.g., 16:1 compression ratios). However, physical track testing reveals a "Thermal Torque" variable: as the Power Unit heat-soaks to 130°C, material expansion pushes the effective compression to 18:1. This unmodelled transient torque spike causes unexpected longitudinal load transfer (squat), violently shifting the aerodynamic Center of Pressure (CoP) rearward and causing mid-corner instability.

The Solution

Project Apex is a high-frequency, physics-based edge-compute framework designed to act as a "Firewall" between powertrain complexity and chassis stability. Operating at the extreme edge (Cisco IOx), it ingests 60Hz UDP telemetry to correlate Engine Thermal State directly with Vertical Energy and Suspension Kinematics, flagging mechanical platform degradation in real-time before it results in aerodynamic stall.

WATCH: Pre-Season Shakedown Simulation

Demonstrating real-time detection of a critical porpoising event at 250 KPH.

Architecture Stack

1. Ingest (Python/Edge Compute)

2. Transport (Splunk HEC)

3. Intelligence

A hardened, multi-threaded Producer/Consumer UDP bridge captures 60Hz physics packets directly from the ATLAS forwarder. Optimized for zero-latency execution on trackside Edge Nodes.

Data is serialized to JSON and pipelined via Splunk HTTP Event Collector (HEC) for sub-second latency, integrating seamlessly with Mission Control (MTC) infrastructure.

Dynamic physics logic monitors ride-height deltas, engine oil temperatures, and the 100-Joule FIA vertical energy threshold to instantly detect and flag CRITICAL: TORQUE_ANOMALY events.

Engineering Capabilities

  • ✅ Edge-Compute Firewall: Tames hybrid powertrain complexity in the background, ensuring the driver's talent remains the primary performance variable.

  • ✅ Predictive Kinematics: Shifts setup strategy from reactive (raising static ride heights) to predictive (monitoring the exact torque delta of a heat-soaked stint).

  • ✅ Modular Deployment: Containerized for immediate deployment on pit-wall server racks or centralized Woking MTC simulators.

  • ✅ Post-Session Audit: All telemetry is indexed for historical replay, FIA regulation compliance, and cross-session correlation.

Built by Timothy D. Harmon, CISSP

  • Master of Advanced Studies in Data Science and Engineering (UC San Diego)

  • USAC Flag Marshal (License #26M005C)

  • Motorsport UK Licensed (RS Clubman & Esports)

  • Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Operations Volunteer

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